


Date with a Master Strategist

by WolfenM



Series: Date with a ... [6]
Category: Stargate - All Series, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alien Abduction, Asgardians - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Furlings, Grey Aliens, Nox - Freeform, POV Daniel Jackson, POV Jack O'Neill, POV Third Person, POV Vala Mal Doran, Rainforest Cafe, Romance, Secrets Revealed, Team Bonding, Team as Family, planning, problem solving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 00:10:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8944873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfenM/pseuds/WolfenM
Summary: Vacation over, it's time to get back to work -- with some exciting developments! Hope for the future of all races, especially the Asgard and the Tau'ri! Happy reunions! Also, the truth about Peri revealed ....





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written late 2006, tweaked slightly for this reposting (I figure it's about time I get my Stargate stuff posted over here). This fic is actually a combination of two fics, formerly known as "Allies" and "Homecomings and Happy Endings", respectively. 
> 
> While there are no actual spoilers for the season 10 episode "Line in the Sand", I must admit that episode did plant a plot bunny in my brain for this story.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Cameron Mitchell, Jack O'Neill, General Hank Landry, Carolyn Lam, Lya, Thor, Kvasir, Hermiod, Loki, Nick Ballard, Dr. Bill Lee, Bra'tac, R'yac, General Hammond, Nicholas Ballard, Skaara, Oma Desala, the Ori, the Ascended Ancients, the Nox, the Asgardians, the Furlings, the Priors, the anti-prior devices, The To'kra, Abydos, Kelowna, Chulak, the Alpha Site, and the Stargate ©/TM Stargate (II) Productions, Kawoosh Productions, The SCI FI Channel, Showtime/Viacom, Sony/MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Productions. Disney's Animal Kingdom is ©/TM The Walt Disney Company, and The Rainforest Café ©/TM Landry's Restaurants, Inc. I kid you not. And no, I didn't know that when I wrote the scene. I swear, my muses are devious even to me! XD

Though it wasn't really that late in the day, Animal Kingdom was closing soon. Having seen all they wished to see, the group began to head towards the exit of the park, going at a slow, weary pace. As they went, Carolyn got out her cell and made a call. "Hey! We're on our way; are you there yet? ... Cool, see you in a few minutes, then."

Each member of SG-1 gave her a puzzled glance, but the good doctor pretended not to notice. Oddly, neither did Cassandra and her friends.

After the group stopped to pick up the packages they'd had delivered to the entrance, Carolyn and the four college girls, rather than heading for the exit turnstiles, suddenly went straight for the path to the Rainforest Café -- and for General Hank Landry, who stood off to one side of the path, in civilian casual dress. The man hugged his daughter, then smiled broadly as he gave a verbal greeting to Jack and SG-1.

"I wish I could have joined the fun," Hank added wistfully. "Still, I'm here now. Let's go have dinner, shall we? I made us reservations!" And he led the way into the restaurant, Carolyn and the college girls matching his stride, the members of SG-1 sharing perplexed expressions as they followed hesitantly.

"Is it just me, or do Cassandra's friends seem to _know_ General Landry," Vala asked Daniel in hushed tones.

"It's definitely not just you," Daniel assured her, scowling as he watched those ahead of him.

"Are we _sure_ that's really the General? What if this whole thing was orchestrated by the Trust?"

"You think they'd send us on _vacation?_ " he asked, more than a little skeptical. Still, Mitchell's words about Peri being more than she seemed echoed in his mind.

"They'd certainly do that if they wanted to keep us distracted but didn’t want us -- or anyone at SGC, for that matter -- to suspect anything was actually wrong ...."

He couldn’t help but think she had a point there, however far-fetched the whole scenario seemed.

"Were you close enough that you could have sensed a Goa'uld in Landry?"

"Not yet. I'll try to sit next to him."

Daniel nodded, frowning. Even if they determine Landry had been compromised, what could they do about it, with no weapons?

Vala made the appropriate commentary about the restaurant's décor, the large, curving fish tanks, plants, and audio-animatronic animals, but he could tell she was really too worried to enjoy it. Both their worries faded a bit at least, as they sat and Vala gave him a slight, smiling headshake that said Landry was clean. Still, they couldn’t relax completely; _some_ thing was up.

"Order whatever you want," Landry told them magnanimously. "It's on me!"

Vala, Cameron and Jack cheered, while Daniel and Sam exchanged wary glances. Teal'c was unreadable, but that wasn't exactly new; Daniel dearly wished there were some way of finding out what the Jaffa's assessment of the scenario was.

Once they'd ordered appetizers and their entrees, Landry asked them to tell him about their weekend, and Vala in particular happily obliged him. Daniel became so wrapped up in her happy reminiscences, by the time the food arrived, he'd practically forgotten his misgivings. After dessert, they left the restaurant with stomachs full to bursting and defenses down.

Landry directed them to the taxi stand, where a long limo awaited them. It was still a tight fit, though not so bad as it might have been with Vala sitting on Daniel's lap. Daniel got the impression Carolyn might have sat in Cam's if her father weren't looking on; the same might have gone for Sam and Jack.

Landry raised a questioning brow when they returned to the hotel and picked up their luggage. "Did you leave any souvenirs for the _rest_ of the guests?"

"A few," Vala answered, winking.

It wasn't until twenty minutes after they drove out of the hotel parking lot that Daniel realised they weren't heading for the airport.

Apparently Jack realised the same thing. "Soooo, is this ... just an _abduction_ , or is there going to be an execution?" he asked Landry.

Vala grabbed Daniel's arm, fear flooding her eyes, but also determination; whatever happened next, it wouldn’t happen without a fight from her! Daniel felt the same emotions racing through himself. It wasn't the first time they'd been in a dangerous situation, and hopefully wouldn’t be the last for any of them. He saw Teal'c's eyes narrow, the Jaffa's jaw tensing. Sam sat ready to move the moment she got an order from Jack, just like the old days. Mitchell moved so that his body blocked Carolyn's; the good doctor only looked annoyed.

Peri laughed, a bit shrilly. "Oh, you Tau'ri never cease to amuse me. So quick to jump to conclusions -- but for all the right reasons, I must admit." Her features altered right before their eyes. To each side of her, Cassandra's other college friends changed as well.

The end result was a Nox and two of the Asgard.

"Okay, I have to say, this was the _last_ thing I was expecting," Mitchell confessed.

Landry came as close to a grin as Daniel had ever seen on him (and Carolyn looked surprised herself). "After meeting SG-1, the Nox sent some of their own to live among us, to learn about our culture. And of course the Asgard have visited Earth incognito many times before SGC was founded; considering our recent interactions with them, they sent a few of their people to live among us as well. Both races did so with General Hammond's full knowledge and approval -- and the President's as well, of course," he added.

"They've been here _all this time_ , and nobody saw fit to tell _me_?" Jack asked, sounding stymied.

One of the Asgard cocked its head inquisitively. "Surely, when you took over Hammond's position, you would have read his report?"

"Iiiiii ... must have _missed_ that one," Jack confessed.

"I'm a little baffled about something," Daniel jumped in. "Earth's faced a number of imminent threats over the years, so ... why are you just coming out of hiding _now_?"

"Communications between ourselves and our homeworlds, or even ourselves and SGC, have been few and far between, lest our missions be compromised," Peri the Nox replied. " _You_ likely have been in contact with the rest of the Nox or the Asgard more than _we_ have, in fact. Therefore, we have not really been any more aware of any threats to Earth than your own civilians."

"We were not even told of the Replicators until recently!" one of the Asgard added. "Besides which, we are not the rocket scientists or biologists or soldiers of our respective peoples; _we_ would not have been any aid to you. But under the current circumstances, in talks with General Landry, Thor expressed the Council's wish for us to return _home_ , believing it to be safer there now than here."

"Current circumstances? You mean the threat of the Ori ...." Daniel prompted.

The other Asgard nodded. "When Thor finally got in contact with us, we expressed our desire to stand beside the Tau'ri and protect Earth. Unfortunately, while he approves of our sentiment, the rest of the Council has been reluctant to permit us to remain."

Peri continued the explanation. "The Nox, too, have been divided about this whole situation. Don't be so surprised," she added. "There are a myriad of personalities and beliefs among the Tau'ri; why should the Nox be any different?" She waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, a while back, Hammond had, with Thor and Lya's approval, arranged for the four of _us_ \--" she gestured to herself, the Asgard, and Cassandra "--to room together, and revealed to each of us the nature of the others, believing we might help each other. And since we are only college students to our friends and associates, and therefore it would be easy to explain away our sudden absence, it has been decided that _we_ will be the ones to act as liaisons between our kin on Earth and the rest of our respective peoples, with Cassandra accompanying us to speak on behalf of humanity. Landry thought it would be useful for us to spend time with SG-1 before we left, since the Asgard and the Nox both already know of you and hold you all in high regard. Now we will make our case to the Nox and the Asgard to protect Earth against the Ori, as our folk are already doing with other worlds." 

"... _Come again?_ " Jack asked as the limo pulled into what was labeled a restricted road.

Before Peri or her companions could answer, the vehicle was surrounded with a bright light. The next anyone knew, the woods outside had been replaced with the interior of an Asgard ship.

=*=

The novelty of the Asgard's transporter had worn off for Jack a long time ago; it seemed the same was true for Daniel and Sam. While Vala, Lam, and Mitchell looked about in confusion, Jack continued to speak as if there had been no interruption. "Are you telling me that you guys have _already_ been fighting the Ori?! Why didn’t you _say_ so!?"

"I never said that our people were _fighting_ them," Peri corrected as she exited the vehicle.

Lya the Nox and a pale, rather tall Asgard with slightly more human features -- and wearing a loincloth around its waist, no less! -- were waiting for them.

"Welcome, SG-1, General Hammond," the Asgard said, bowing slightly.

Jack's eyes flew wide as he recognised the voice. "... _Thor?_ "

"It is indeed me, General O'Neil," Thor assured him.

Despite his recent irritation, Jack couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Asgard Supreme Commander. "Thooooor, old buddy!" he said with a grin, shaking the small alien's slender hand. "So old Hiemdall finally fixed the cloning problem! That's a good look for you!"

"Thank-you, O'Neil. Heimdall has indeed succeeded -- beyond our wildest dreams!" He turned to Sam and Daniel. "This was in fact the delicate matter that prevented me from coming to your aid myself when you were having problems with your gate. It is good to see you all again," he added with a heartfelt note.

"I, too, am very glad to see you," Lya told them sincerely.

* * *

The Nox woman stepped forward to hug Peri, and Daniel realised there seemed to be a familial resemblance. Vala saw him staring at the two women and bit her lip unhappily. She brightened, though, when he slipped his arm around her and said, "Lya, Thor, I'd like you to meet our newest team member, Vala Mal Doran."

Peri smiled at Vala with surprising affection and told Lya, "There is _much_ potential in her -- the animals know."

Blinking, Vala smiled hesitantly and stood a little taller. Daniel beamed with pride -- and a little wonder. _What_ did the animals know? And what could impress a _Nox_?

Cameron gave a cough. "Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell," he announced with a wave. "It's a pleasure to meet you both," he added, shaking Thor's hand and exchanging a nod with Lya.

"And this is my daughter, Doctor Carolyn Lam," Hank announced proudly, drawing Carolyn out to stand before him. She paused in taking in the sights of the ship to give a polite, bashful smile.

=*=

There was a motion behind them: another strange Asgard stepped into the room, this one with a slightly feminine look, wearing a covering over its chest as well as the loincloth. It was carrying a small bundle of cloth, and came to stand before Jack. "Hello, O'Neill! It's wonderful to see all of you again!" the alien intoned in its strange, hyper voice.

"Hiemdall! Good to see you too!"

"So long as we are making introductions," Thor said, reaching out and taking the bundle in his arms, "I would like you all to meet ... O'Neill." He pulled a corner of the cloth away, revealing a small, pale head with large, black, whiteless eyes. The face was somewhat more human than the typical "Roswell Grey", as Carter called them, but was still undeniably that of an Asgard.

"A baby!" Sam breathed, eyes shining as she looked at Heimdall. "That's wonderful!"

"He is our son, Thor's and mine," Heimdall replied. "There is a girl on the way, Hermiod and Kvasir's child, now that they too have these new bodies."

"I thought--" Jack began, before Sam elbowed him in the side.

Thor had guessed his question, though. "You realise, O'Neill, that for eons, my people have long been a _genderless_ race. We used the pronoun 'he' for simplicity's sake when speaking English, but Hiemdall and Hermiod have chosen to be female, now that we have reproductive organs again." It was hard to tell for sure, but he seemed to be grinning.

"You could give a little thanks where it's due," grumbled someone from just outside the room. In walked another changed Asgard, this one apparently male.

" _Loki?_ " Jack asked, distaste clear on his face. Loki had stolen his genetic makeup and made a clone of him once.

Thor sighed. "His help _has_ been very beneficial to us."

"Well, I'm very happy for you," Jack said sincerely. "And honoured!" he added. This was even better than having a ship named for him!

Thor nodded, beaming as well as his new body allowed, which was a bit more than the old. "Let us find more comfortable surroundings. We can fill you in on our latest developments with the Ori, and you can hold my son. _My son._ I'm never going to get tired of saying that ...." 

~ *@* ~

"We have been working to hide the villages of less-developed planets from the Ori," Lya began. "But we can only do so much. It takes a considerable amount of effort to hide an entire city." 

"But haven't you done that for centuries on your world?" Vala asked, remembering the file on the Nox she'd read ages ago.

"Several Eons," Lya affirmed, "But _there_ we have an entire city full of our people to do the work. The more planets we aid, the thinner our number on each world -- and the more populated the world, the more of us is needed to maintain the invisibility. Our people have also been strained resurrecting those who were killed by the Ori before we could stop them. The Asgard have been helping by emigrating people to worlds that the Ori have already visited and either found empty or killed the inhabitants of because they would not convert. Still, the Asgard's resources, too, are limited, thanks to the damage they suffered from the Replicators. So we've enlisted the aid of ... _others_ ...."

As though having waited for a cue, an old man, handsome for his age, chose that moment to enter the room.

"Nick!" Daniel cried, getting to his feet. He practically ran around the table before throwing his arms joyously around the man.

"Daniel?" Vala asked as she stood. 

Grinning widely, Daniel said, "Vala, meet Nicholas Ballard, my maternal Grandfather. Nick, meet Vala Mal Doran -- my _girlfriend_."

Nick raised his brows in happy surprise. "Well! My grandson has excellent taste, it seems!" He reached across the table, and hesitantly, she did the same. Rather than shaking her hand, he kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he told her.

She smiled politely, despite feeling icy towards him; he seemed nice enough (she could see where Daniel got his gentlemanly behavior), but she couldn't forget that this man had abandoned his own grandson to a harsh, lonely existence ....

Daniel helped his grandfather into a chair, then hurried back around to take his own seat beside Vala. He took her hand in an almost painfully-tight grip, he was so excited.

"As you know," Nick began, "the Furlings have the ability to phase a person into another reality. They--"

"Wait, the _Furlings_?" Mitchell interrupted. "I read the report -- you were with the giant South American aliens -- Quetzalcoatl's people, right? You're telling me _they_ are the Furlings? I thought they were little Ewok-like people!"

"Well, no, that was just Martin's conjecture; we've never met them -- at least not knowingly." Daniel explained. "I guess we really _have_ met them after all! So, Nick, you're saying the Furlings are willing to help us ... what, shift the citizens of earth into _their_ dimension?"

"More like the entire planet," Nick said. "And we'd only do it halfway, like what happened to you, Daniel. That way, when the people of earth look into the sky, they'll still see the sun and stars as they know them, and we'll avoid a planet-wide panic. But if the priors try to go to Earth, by gate or by ship --"

"--they won't find anything!" Sam finished, an excited gleam in her eye. "But what about the radiation the crystal skull emitted? Surely on that massive a scale, it would be nearly lethal?"

"The Earth's own ozone layer will protect it, as it protects you from most Solar radiation," Thor assured her. "The crystal transport devices will be placed out beyond your moon, not on the planet's surface. But we have devised a plan for a network of shield devices for extra protection, just in case."

"Even so," Lya continued, "this will be a monumental effort, which is why we have to convince our peoples to commit themselves to the cause. Thankfully, the Tok'ra have promised aid as well."

"Then let us come with you, then, to plea on Earth's behalf!" Daniel insisted.

"We have another purpose in mind for Sg-1 -- indeed, _all_ of SGC," Thor told him. "For one, we can think of no group better suited to draw the attention of Adria and the Ori away from Earth until we can get the shield and transportation networks in place. Once they are, Landry says you'll work out of the Alpha-site, since you will be unable to reach Earth through the Stargate then."

"And _we_ need to keep looking for Merlin's weapon, anyway," Vala pointed out.

"No, actually, you do not," Lya assured her.

Vala's brow furrowed. "Surly you don't expect the people of Earth to hide indefinitely? And what about the rest of the galaxy? You'd never be able to hide all the planets, or even just their inhabitants!"

"Even so," Lya said, "what you propose to find is a double-edged sword. It's as likely to maim those you call the Ascended Ancients -- including your friends from Abydos -- as it is to harm the Ori! Hold a weapon, and that weapon could be turned against you at any time. Hold a _shield_ , and if your enemy wrestles it away from you, it still can only used defensively, not offensively."

Mitchell snorted. "Tell that to Captain America!"

Peri rolled her eyes. "Our _hope_ is that, if we hide enough of the humans of this galaxy, particularly such a prize target as the people of Earth, the Ori will eventually consider the Milky Way to be a dry well and give up! If they can’t find people to convert and feed on, there's no reason for them to make the effort to come here!"

Vala bolted upright in her seat. " _That's it!_ "

Everyone looked to her expectantly, though most had their brows raised in skepticism.

"The Ori can't just take energy from a follower -- it has to be given freely of the person's own free will, right? And their big thing is using fear to convert people, that if they don't bow down, they'll die. But what if even when a person agreed to become a follower, the Ori _still_ couldn’t glean the energy from them?"

"You think that would stop them from the whole convert-or-die thing?" Mitchell asked skeptically. "You don’t think they'd just assume the people were lying about being willing to worship them?"

Vala shook her head. "Adria would be able to tell their sincerity! But I'm not talking about _here_ anyway -- at least, not entirely. If we can find a scientific way to block however it is the Ori are getting energy from their followers, with something similar to the anti-prior devices, we can take the show on the road to their own galaxy and keep them from feeding off those who are already converted! We know it wouldn't be a lethal attack -- the Ascended Ancients don't need worshippers to continue their existence, so it's not like the Ori would starve to death or something, and so there's no fear of what it would do to the Ancients if it were used on them! And, eventually, the Ori will simply fade to the level of power of the Ascended Ancients. They won't be able to create more Priors, and the Priors they have already will likely go back to being ordinary humans."

Lya nodded thoughtfully. "I believe the Nox would approve of such a plan."

Jack blinked in surprise. "They would?"

"It does not deprive the Ori of their existence or violate their free will. The Ori's followers would still be free to worship them if those choose, but the Ori would no longer be able to coerce them. Yes, these conditions are satisfactory."

"But reaching all the converted in the Ori galaxy sounds just as impossible as the notion of being able to protect all the worlds in the Milky way!" Landry protested. "We don’t even know if we can do anything to prevent the Ori from leaching off of their worshippers, and we need to put a plan into effect as soon as possible!"

"You say that like we couldn’t do both plans!" Vala chastised him. "I'm not suggesting we don’t do the whole 'planetary invisibility' thingy. But it sounds like SGC won't be able to do much to help that plan anyway. How many people need to work on creating an anti-Ori device? And once one is created, if we're going to be going around being a thorn in the Ori's side to keep them occupied, why not start dropping these things off as we go?"

"I think she makes and excellent argument," Nick said. "Unlike what the Nox are doing for the other words, this task she proposes does not require anyone to stick around -- once the devices are hidden on an enemy world, those planting them can move on to another planet and do the same. It's much faster than evacuation, and easier than trying to talk people over to our side."

"And the Jaffa would likely be willing to help spread such devices throughout the Milky Way galaxy via the Stargate," Vala added, warming up to Nick.

Daniel raised his brows in a pleased gesture. "So SGC and the Jaffa outfit as many planets as we can with both the anti-Ori and anti-Prior devices, the Nox hide some people with their power of illusion, the Asgard shuffle smaller populations around to planets that the Ori have already visited and abandoned, everyone helps hide Earth, and possibly a few other worlds with large populations like Kelowna, in an alternate dimension, and SGC 'poisons the well' so to speak in the Ori galaxy."

Peri nodded. "And after we have convinced our respective councils to aid Earth, I shall accompany you to the Ori galaxy."

"Um, _why_?" Jack asked.

"Because I can hide you while you plant the devices. It's possible that the Nox might even do that job themselves, but I doubt it. Still, I can make my own choices, and I think this is the right thing to do."

Lya seemed a little hesitant, before finally nodding. "I, too, shall accompany you and hide you from sight, as I did the Tollan ion canons. But I do not think the rest of the Nox would be willing to go so far."

Jack nodded. "We understand -- and we appreciate what you're willing to do for us. Both of you," he added, nodding his head once to Peri.

"So it sounds like we have a plan -- or the beginnings of one," Landry said. "We'll get our top people working on the anti-Ori device at the SGC. What kind of time-frame are we looking at for the moving of Earth?"

"The Furlings have never transported anything even remotely so massive," Nick conceded. "They are certain this will work, but they will test it on a few empty planets, just to be sure. And it will take a while to build the crystal network. They estimate three months."

Landry nodded. "We've already started mass-producing the anti-Prior devices and started working out a method of quick and far-spread distribution with the Jaffa -- we can use that system to distribute the ant-Ori devices when it's time. Meanwhile, we'll stock up the Alpha site, since it sounds like we may be cut off from Earth for a goodly while."

The meeting over, goodbyes said, Thor beamed the limo and its occupants, sans Cassandra and her friends, directly to SGC.


	2. Chapter 2

After they unloaded the limo, Vala began to head into the base, but Daniel grabbed her hand, gently leading her back to where his suitcases sat. "Grab my other suitcase from Jack and follow me," he told her. Carry-on slung over one shoulder and a suitcase in each hand, he then began to make his lopsided way to his car.

Vala hurried after her boyfriend, heart racing -- and not just because of the weight of his luggage coupled with her own suitcase and carry-on. Was he just using her as a pack-mule, or was he ... she didn't dare even think about it. She couldn't bear the disappointment if she was wrong.

He paused a moment to catch his breath after piling his luggage into his trunk, which was jammed full. She started to feel let down anyway, despite not even contemplating the possibilities. Then he said the magic words that made her feel as though she had indeed sprouted a pair of batwings.

"We'll have to put _your_ stuff in the back seat."

He loaded the car with her suitcase and carry-on, then opened the passenger-side door.

She looked at the door hesitantly. "Don’t I have to get permission to go ...?"

He shook his head. "I checked with Landry when we were on Thor's ship, while you were talking to Sam. Landry said he couldn’t believe he'd forgotten to tell you that you could come and go as you please now, without clearing it with him first. You have the same rights and privileges as any other member of SG-1." He grinned.

She beamed, and got into the car. He leaned in to kiss her, then shut the door and came around the other side.

"So when do you want to start driving lessons?" he asked her as he started the car.

She blinked. "Driving lessons?"

He shrugged. "You don’t _have_ to, but after flying a Goa'uld ship, it should be a piece of cake for you, I think. Just promise me that you'll obey the rules of the road, okay? No speeding or crazy stunts?"

She nodded vigorously.

She was quiet the whole drive, eagerly taking in the sights through the window, memorising the route, in preparation for the day she'd drive it herself.

"Vala? You’re so quiet! You all right?" Daniel asked.

"Mm? Oh, yeah," she assured him, smiling. "Just a bit worn out, I guess. Pretty eventful weekend, 'ey?"

He laughed. "Yeah, especially the end there."

"And you were afraid you wouldn’t get anything important done...."

"Heh, _I didn't. You_ \-- and the Asgard and the Nox and the Furlings -- were the ones who came up with a plan of attack."

She ginned. "I did contribute something, I suppose."

"Seriously, though, Vala, I'm really proud of you. I've been focusing so hard on finding Merlin's weapon, I ... I didn’t stop to consider that there might be _other_ ways to defeat the Ori. I was so concerned with the offence, it didn’t occur to me to think defensively. But you ... you're really good at thinking outside the box, you know that? You destroyed the Ori beachhead -- and with your brain instead of brawn ...." He shook his head. "You’re amazing, you know that?"

She ducked her head, blushing, then straightened her shoulders, chin up. "Says the man who speaks 23 languages, was the one to figure out how to work the Stargate, and who was once -- no, _twice_ \-- an Ascended being. Face it, darling, we're two of the most amazing people in the Milky Way Galaxy, and that's all there is to it."

He laughed. "Ugh, I'd kiss you right now if I weren't driving."

"You could pull over," she purred.

"What would be better, kissing in here, or kissing in the comfort of my apartment?"

"Fair point. Dive faster.

He did.

To her vexation, though, they didn't go straight to his apartment, instead stopping at a hardware store first, Daniel telling her to wait by the cashier and face the windows. Puzzled, she did as he asked. She began to grow bored, but fought the urge to wander. She tried to guess the number gumballs in the gumball machine, then to count the holes in one of the ceiling tiles, then to hum the _Jeopardy_ theme song, which Teal'c had informed her was exactly thirty seconds. She was going through it for the sixth time when Daniel tapped her shoulder and led her back out.

They struggled to get the luggage up the short flight of steps outside his apartment. Then he turned to her, holding his fist out, palm-down. She started at him quizzically. He grabbed her hand and pressed something into it.

At first, all she saw was a collection of plastic baubles, some gem-like and some jewel-like, some round, and some shaped like hearts. Then she noticed a pink-cloisonné skull-and-crossbones. She also saw a flat, metal heart -- turning it over, she saw that it was etched with the Pirate Princess skull-and-crossbones logo, and studded with six rhinestones, three on each side.

Only after all that did she noticed that it was all attached to a metal ring that held two keys.

She boggled at Daniel, somewhat disbelieving,

"Mi casa e su casa," he told her. "My home is your home."

She still just stood there, staring.

He arched his brows, suddenly looking uncertain. "Er, unless you don’t _want_ \--"

She threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. " _Thank-you_." She let go just as quickly, holding him at arm's length. "But are _you_ sure about this? I mean, it's all pretty sudden--we've only been dating a week and going steady for about a _day_."

He smiled, drawing her close and brushing a lock of hair from her brow. "When I met Sha're, she had _just_ been given to me as a _bride_ , and yet our marriage was a happy one for as long as it lasted. And I've worked side-by-side with you for _months_ now; we already spend more time together than most married couples on Earth do. So the way I figure it, we're actually taking it very _slow_ , by my standards," he finished wryly.

She smiled, reaching up to brush his jaw with her thumb. "I just want to make sure that you're not rushing into things because ... because you think we don’t have much _time_ left ...."

He laughed. "Are you kidding?" He picked her up and swung her around, saying, "For the first time in like a _year_ I finally feel like there's _definitely_ going to be a _tomorrow!_ " He set her down on her feet. "And a next day! And a ... _billion_ days after!" He kissed her, enthusiasm gentling into a sweet tenderness.

"So," he began when the finally drew apart. "Why don’t you open the door, and I'll get the bags in."

She bit her lip gleefully, nodding. "Which one is it?" she asked, holding the keychain up. He grabbed hold of the right one. She opened the door and held it for him as he first brought her luggage in, then his.

Daniel stopped at a wall of boxes, digging out another, smaller key, and paused. "Here," he said, holding it out to her. "Number 21."

She took it gingerly, a curious look in her eye. "Oh! Letters!" she said, grinning, having opened the box he'd indicated. "And look, here's one that says 'Occupant'! That's me!" She went through the rest, handing him the things that looked boring, emptying the box of Friday, Saturday, and Monday's mail. She paused, brow arching. "How did they find me already?"

It was his turn to be puzzled.

She held up a Victoria's Secret catalogue.

Daniel coughed. "Ah, yeah, dunno why they keep sending me those ...." Snagging the catalogue from her and stuffing it with the rest of the mail into his carry-on, he grabbed his luggage and took it over to the elevator, tapping the call button once, then several times impatiently. He wouldn't look Vala in the eye; if he had, he would have seen her grinning in her incorrigible, Cheshire Cat-way.

When they reached his apartment door, again, he prompted her to use one of her keys. She was about to step through when he stopped her. He gathered her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold, setting her down one her feet a few yards past the door.

"What was that all about?" she asked with a laugh.

"It's an old Tau'ri tradition," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

She remembered then reading in a romance story something about a groom carrying his new wife across the threshold. A warm feeling washed over her, but she decided to keep her realisation to herself. She contented herself with a nice view of Daniel's backside as he bent over to get their carry-on bags in the hall. "You sure you don’t want help with that?" she asked as he brought the bags and her two suitcases in.

"No, no, I got it!" he insisted as he set the bags down. "You just, ah ... make yourself comfortable!" he said with a shy laugh. He went back out for his own bags.

She immediately went exploring. The apartment bore an uncanny resemblance to his office, albeit not cluttered nor as packed-to-the-gills. There were countless artifact-looking things, and hundreds of books, of course. Still, the place looked barely lived-in -- which was understandable, given that he slept at the base at least a few nights a week, and spend most of his waking hours there or off-world. For a split-second she wondered if he was bringing her there to keep her out of his hair at the base, but all she had to do was think of their kiss outside and know that wasn't it at all. Likely she would stay at the base on any night he did.

"Daniel?" she asked as he brought his suitcases into one of the rooms, "Where's the bathroom?"

Smiling, he pointed it out to her. After using the facilities, she poked about in his medicine cabinet. A razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, contact lens cleaner, disposable lenses, Visine, aspirin, ibuprofen, Pepto Bismal. "Talk about the bare necessities!" Except that he was missing something she personally considered necessary -- not that she'd had a need to use any in quite some time. And she supposed she should feel glad the man hadn’t seen the need to stay stocked up on condoms himself. Still, it was a good thing she was always prepared. She slipped a couple of small, square packs Sam had given her out of her purse and into her pocket.

Then she shook her head; she was getting ahead of herself. Daniel hadn't said anything at all about them doing anything like _that_ yet .... Even so, she left the Trojans where they were.

When she stepped back into the living room and dropped her purse on a nearby chair, she noted that her luggage was missing. When Daniel came back out of his room, she asked without preamble, "So, which room is mine?"

"Which room?" he looked at her blankly for a split second, then grew pale. "Ah, Vala, I only _have_ the one room ... I thought -- th-that is I didn’t think you'd ... _mind_ us s-sle- _sleeping_ together," he finally managed, pushing his glasses back up his nose, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

She didn’t know whether to laugh or kiss him. She gave him the Chesire Cat grin again, then started a slow, sultry walk towards him. "I don’t ..." she ran her finger along his jaw, "mind ..." she drew up against him, backing him against the wall, "at all..." She kissed him slowly, and found her attempt at seduction fading in the wake of her own, honest desire. She didn’t need to play the cat to his mouse; _he'd_ already caught _her_.

His shy demeanor, meanwhile, seemed to evaporate as she melted in his arms. He was an explorer by nature -- and she was his next adventure, a temple whose secrets he clearly coveted.

They guided each other into his bedroom, stumbling uncaring over the pile of luggage as they made their way to his bed. He slipped his fingers beneath her shirt and, like a blind man, studied what they found beneath the fabric, learning the curves of her form with what felt like the same respect she'd seen him give to those of the written letter, learning the language of her body, presumably so that his own could respond in kind.

She was no less intrepid an explorer, her hands roaming beneath his own shirt, never following the same path twice, but always exploring new territory. He seemed to grow frustrated with the restrictiveness of his shirt and, with her help, quickly removed it. When there was no uncharted territory left on his torso, her fingers trailed farther south. Thief that she was, she deftly undid the buttons and liberated her prize.

He gasped and froze. It occurred to her that it had probably been a long time since anyone else had touched him there -- at least while he was conscious. A _very_ long time, if his last lover had been Sha're ....

Vala moved her attentions upward again, occupying his mouth with hers in an attempt to distract him. She felt the tension between his shoulders ease, his muscles becoming pliant as clay beneath her dexterous fingers. A master of slight-of-hand, she did away with her shirt, then her pants, then her undergarments, then did the same with his own clothes, hopefully keeping him too wrapped up in his senses to feel the absence -- or perhaps that was keeping him too sense _less_.

As her now-bare torso brushed against his chest, though, he pulled way. At first she was afraid she'd scared him off, but as he slowly began to trace the contours of her, she watched his eyes and saw something that told her otherwise. She'd been worshipped before, but never like this. Never with such raw adoration for her naked self, her naked _soul_ , all the lies and masks and preconceived notions stripped away. Jack's words from earlier that afternoon echoed in her mind: _Let him cherish you, Vala; he's **good** at that sort of thing_ ....

Daniel leaned in to kiss her neck. Cradling her, he gently lay her back on the bed, caressing her with his lips as he went, brushing them against her throat, her shoulders, her jaw, and skirting her own lips teasingly. His free hand was no less attentive to the rest of her, continuing the mapping of her. And, finally, it was there, exploring her tunnel with a reverence befitting a goddess.

Determined to show him that he meant just as much to her -- perhaps more, for she had never loved anyone as she loved him now -- she ran her own hands down his skin, blazing the trail anew. She paused a moment to open one of the small squares she'd pocketed, which she had thankfully remembered to drop on the bed beside them. Freeing its contents, her greedy fingers reached once more for his treasure, this time eliciting an appreciative growl against her mouth instead of a cry of alarm.

And he was ready. She let him know she was, too, and he buried his treasure within her.

"My Daniel," she whispered, tightening her grip, suddenly afraid of loosing this.

He drew back just enough to look her in the eyes, and her heart swelled as she realised that this was what she'd wanted most in the universe, someone who knew her at her worst and could still look her in the eye her that way, like there was nothing he wanted more.

"My Vala," he whispered back.

It was hard to kiss while grinning, but they managed.

~ *@* ~

The three-month preparation for the Furling's crystal network passed far too quickly. Just when Vala had gotten getting used to the luxury (particularly the privacy) of Daniel's apartment to the point where she'd begun to take it for granted, it was time for them to move. Their home for who knew how long was now the Alpha Site, which was severely lacking in creature comforts -- but not in plain old creatures, alas. They particularly seemed to love burrowing under her blankets, which she now checked thoroughly before going to sleep. (Why couldn't she have Daniel under her covers instead??)

Not that they _got_ much sleep, since Sam, Dr Lee, and Kvasir had successfully completed the construction of an anti-Ori device, as well as improved the anti-Prior device, so that the Priors had yet to overcome its effects. For a fortnight now, SG-1 had been scrambling all around the Milky Way, delivering the devices, as Mitchell had put it, "like Santa Clause." They'd moved to the Alpha site two days ago, just before the successful activation of the Furling's crystal network. They wouldn’t see Earth again until all the races were satisfied the Ori threat had been unequivocally neutralised.

She was homesick already.

Homesick. The very fact that she was, and knew it, made her smile in spite of herself.

"Hey, Vala," came Daniel's voice from just outside the flap of the tent she shared with Sam.

Tripping first over her own bag in her eagerness, she undid the door-zipper.

"Hey, beautiful," he greeted her. "I got something I want to show ya." He took her hand and lead her to the back of the camp, to where she knew they now kept livestock, since they didn’t know when they might get supplies from Earth again. He led her to a small pen, and she realised there were goats housed within it.

One looked very familiar.

"When Landry told me that the Alpha site would be keeping a few animals around, including goats for milk, I mentioned how fond you were of that one, and asked if Peri's family could pull some strings...."

She squealed with delight, throwing her arms around him and kissing him soundly before bounding off to say hello.

* * *

A little under a year later, the Council of the Great Alliance -- which now included the Tau'ri, the Jaffa, and the Tok'ra -- declared the Ori's reign of terror to be over. There was a great celebration on Chulak, during which Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill, Cameron Mitchell and Carolyn Landry, and Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran were all married, in a ceremony that borrowed a little from the cultures of their alien friends. General Hammond and Nicholas Ballard, having stayed at the Alpha Site when Earth went into hiding, were in attendance, as were R'yac, Bra'tac, Lya, Perry, Heimdall, Hermiod, Kvasir, and a number of other beings SG-1 had encountered over the years. Even Oma Desala and Skaara put in an appearance.

When Thor, who had officiated, told each couple to kiss, Vala realised that there was something different about the way Daniel kissed her. It wasn't hard to guess why: it was the first time he'd kissed her without the weight of the world lingering behind it, the first time he didn’t taste at all of fear. His lips spoke a silent promise of spring, of love that, without the constant worry of the reaper's premature scythe, could now bloom into a long, glorious summer, and turn gold when they finally entered the autumn of their lives.

The three couples decided that they would honeymoon at Disney World together, with Teal'c and other friends in tow. (They would get their own suites, of course.) But they wouldn’t go immediately: first, they just wanted to go home for a bit, and reacquaint themselves with an Earth that had spun on, oblivious to the peril -- or even the _place_ \-- it had been in.

A year and a day after he'd first brought her to his apartment, Daniel once again swept Vala into his arms and carried her over the threshold. Reluctant to put her down for even a moment, he only did so in order to bring their bags in and lock the door. He found Vala taking in the sights of the room, the touches she'd added that made it as much her place as his. Her Stitch dolls sat just where she'd left them. Landry had sent someone to clean the place and air it out, so it seemed they had only been gone hours, not months, the dolls free of dust and seeming bright-eyed and eager to greet her.

Daniel drew up behind her, slipping one hand around her waist while the other gently cupped her slightly-rounded belly. "Welcome home, little one," he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've enjoyed my writing, I invite you to explore my original fantasy storyverse, [Gaiankind](http://gaiankind.com)! You can even find Gaiankind stories for free [here](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Gaiankind) on AO3!


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